To the person who messaged me this week – I can't reply if you switch your private messaging off. So for now, as you said that this one is your favourite story, this chapter is for you. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty One
The following morning, Charlie went into work and headed out for a coffee with her boss.
"What's on your mind, Charlie?" he asked, thinking it might be about everything she had been through in recent weeks.
"It's Watson," Charlie said.
"I'm listening."
"She worked so hard on my case," the Senior Constable said. "I mean, she went above and beyond. I don't think she actually slept for days at the end. She saved me and Joey and I don't think I could ever thank her enough for that."
"What's this got to do with me?" her boss asked.
"Well, with Alan leaving this week, there's a vacant position for Senior Constable," Charlie ventured. "And I was thinking that Watson deserves a promotion."
She looked hopefully at him and flashed her most charming smile.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"I think that's a really good idea."
Angelo took his time when it came to meeting Hugo down at the docks in order to take a boat out and look for the missing schooner. He couldn't help but enjoy winding him up. As far as Angelo was concerned, Hugo was evil and the harder he brought him down, the better.
"You're late," Hugo said coldly when Angelo eventually pulled up.
"So sue me," Angelo said, unfazed.
Hugo glared and then followed him onto the police boat, muttering something about how he seemed to be invulnerable to the law anyway.
Joey met with Aden for breakfast at the Diner before work. Charlie had been up and out early after very little sleep the night before. But she had been excited about her new plan to get Watson a promotion. Joey found the whole thing adorable and she was looking forward to talking Charlie's colleague out for dinner at the weekend. Suddenly, Aden spat his coffee out across the table.
"Hey!" Joey protested, jerking back but not quite in time.
He wiped his mouth and apologised before explaining there was something seriously wrong with his drink.
"Taste it!" he said.
"After that review?" Joey remarked. "I think I'll pass."
Aden stood up to take the drink back to Colleen while Joey mused over why, when someone tasted something nice, they kept it to themselves while when they tasted something horrible, they were always eager to share.
Charlie returned to the station and called Watson into her office. A little anxiously, Watson closed the door behind them and perched on the edge of a chair. Charlie sat on the other side of her desk and smiled.
"Well, firstly, you did so well on our case," the Senior Constable ventured. "I mean, I can't even begin to explain what you did for Joey and I and our family. You were amazing and I'll never be able to thank you enough."
Watson blushed, struggling to take the compliment. She had only done what she felt was right.
"So, I was talking to the boss today and we'd like to promote you to Senior Constable in Alan's place."
Watson's eyes went wide with shock.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
"Absolutely," Charlie said.
She was surprised when Watson promptly burst into tears.
Angelo and Hugo remained on their boat, waiting for the divers to arrive. They'd found enough debris to suggest that the missing vessel was in the area so Angelo had called for backup. Now, sitting in awkward silence, Hugo and Angelo avoided each other's stares.
"What are you doing back here?" Hugo finally demanded.
Angelo was about to answer when Hugo interrupted him.
"I mean, where the hell do you get off returning to a town where you murdered someone?"
"It wasn't murder," Angelo said evenly.
"Jack is still dead," Hugo reminded him.
Angelo swallowed his guilt, reminding himself that Hugo was hardly innocent.
"I don't even care about me," Hugo said. "Jack meant the world to me but at least he wasn't in my life every single day. But Martha is a young widow and Tony... no parent should ever have to bury their child. How can you live here and face them and make them have to face you every day, knowing how you tore our family apart?"
"I'm here because I have a job to do," Angelo said. "I can't help where they post me."
"The only job you should be doing is some shitty, menial work in prison," Hugo told him firmly. "You should be stuck in there for life."
It was lunch time. Having been scarred by his coffee encounter that morning, Aden had invited Joey round to have lunch with him at home instead. They had both noticed the way in which Geoff had happily wandered off in order to spend his break with Ruby.
"So, do you think they're actually going to get together any time soon?" Aden asked, busying himself with making sandwiches.
"I hope so," Joey said. "Ruby's been a mess for a good long while. I mean, we all have. But when she's around Geoff, she seems so much more settled. She seems happier. I wish things could have worked out with Xavier. I thought they were really good together. But if someone doesn't make you happy, you can't force it, can you? And Geoff's a nice boy. I mean, I've got to know him pretty well since we all started working together. I like him."
She smiled, wanting only the best for Ruby.
Charlie took Watson out to lunch, still overwhelmed by how her colleague had responded to the promotion. She had cried and hugged her, managing to mumble something about how Charlie would never have any idea what it meant to her. Sitting in the Diner, Watson anxiously explained her situation. She had broken up with her girlfriend months ago and ended up desolate and having to move in with her mother, who didn't accept her in the slightest for being gay. She was finding it extremely difficult to pick her life back up and start again but the promotion felt like the first step in the right direction.
"I'm so glad it's going to help you," Charlie said earnestly. "You're an amazing person, Watson and you deserve good things to happen to you."
"Well, I don't know about that but..."
"Well, I do know," Charlie said firmly. "You are amazing."
She bit into her burger and then pulled a face.
"This, however, is not."
Curiously, Watson took a bite of her own before unceremoniously spitting it back onto her plate.
"Leah!" Charlie hollered when she saw her frantic looking housemate. "I think you've got some bad meat here."
Leah growled in frustration.
"We've got bad everything today!" she said, apologising profusely and taking their plates away.
Ruby and Geoff sat on the beach together, gazing out at the waves and eating sandwiches that didn't taste quite right from the Diner. Putting their food aside and struggling with his sweaty palms, Geoff finally blurted out that he liked Ruby.
"I like you too," Ruby said a little uncertainly.
He gazed at her. Before he could back out of it, he took the plunge, leant in and kissed her.
Angelo and Hugo were subdued as they made their way back to shore. Both felt sick at what they had seen and neither of them knew what to say or do. Sighing heavily, Angelo focussed on steering the boat while Hugo sat at the back with his head in his hands. Jumping to his feet, he threw up over the side of the boat. Hating him, Angelo kept on with his task.
Joey and Aden were heading back to work when they saw a commotion going on down at the docks.
"I wonder what's going on," Joey said.
She spotted two boats being towed. She could see Hugo standing on the wharf with Angelo and other cops surrounded them. A small gathering of press had also arrived. Joey pulled out her phone and called Charlie.
"It's the fridges!" Leah announced dramatically.
Irene and Colleen hurried over. Sure enough, all the refrigerated food they had been serving and having sent back all day was due to the fact that the fridges had broken and almost everything had gone off.
"What are we going to do?" Colleen wondered.
"We'll have to close and send everyone home, obviously," Leah snapped.
Colleen looked offended. Leah quickly apologised. But she was panicked about what this could mean for her business.
Charlie and Watson arrived down at the docks. During the dive for Hugo's boat, another sunken vessel had been found on a reef. In it, were a dozen dead bodies that had clearly been there for months. They'd pulled them out and it was a sickening sight to say the least. Angelo was running the show but he looked shaken so Charlie and Watson were quick to offer their support. Hugo was pale, sitting quietly by himself when Martha arrived to take him home.
